Lorde's big "Homemade Dynamite" remix lives up to the hype

Never doubt the Lorde. Here is her highly anticipated remix of “Homemade Dynamite” featuring Khalid, SZA, and Post Malone.

As you might expect, the new version gets really busy, really quickly, and that comes off as a bit odd on a song that is this meticulously constructed to only include the elements it absolutely needs. In fact, all of Melodrama is built in this manner. The menagerie of voices, however buzzy and primed for social media conversation, essentially defeats this worthy purpose.

That’s not to say the remix isn’t occasionally beautiful. As the track progresses, layer after layer of voices are sewn onto the earworm chorus. By the end, the four of them are harmonizing and it feels unusually communal and special. The final 40 seconds are not only where the remix justifies its existence beyond becoming a trending topic, it adds something interesting and new to Lorde’s idea of an album as a house party. Before the party goes to shit, before you’re a liability, you’re not alone. Yeah. Awesome, right?